


The Morning After

by 19Ballum93



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19Ballum93/pseuds/19Ballum93
Summary: For the first time since Christmas Day, Ben finally got a good night's sleep, all thanks to the taller man lying next to him.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 85





	The Morning After

**Author's Note:**

> An alternate take of Monday's EastEnders featuring Domestic Ballum.
> 
> JackBatchelor3 on both Twitter and Tumblr.

Ben woke up to a sliver of sunlight shining through his bedroom window. It was the first time since Christmas Day that he finally got a good night's sleep, all thanks to the taller man lying next to him. Callum. After everything that happened over Christmas, Ben still had no idea how Callum was able to see the good in him, or anyone for that matter.

Callum was still in a deep slumber, as Ben looked at him with a soft smile. He shuffled closer to Callum, and entangling their legs together. He then rested one arm upon Callum's chest, and ran his other hand through Callum's dishevelled hair. This made Callum stir a little in his sleep and moan softly.

"Isn't that my job?" asked a tired voice.

"No harm in swapping roles in bed," was Ben's answer, causing Callum to let out a small chuckle.

Callum opened his eyes, and turned to face Ben, exchanging smiles. He placed a hand on Ben's cheek, and kissed him softly on his lips.

"How d'you sleep?" Callum asked, stroking Ben's cheek with his thumb.

"Like a baby," answered Ben.

"Yeah, same."

"What's the time?"

Breaking away from each other's touch, Callum rolled over to the nightstand on his side of the bed, and reached for his phone.

"Half Ten," Callum answered, shuffling back towards Ben.

"Too late for breakfast. Too early for lunch. Might as well stay in bed 'til Twelve."

"Actually," said Callum, "hold that thought. Need the toilet."

"Don't take to long, Babe," replied Ben, as Callum got out of bed to go to the bathroom.

As Callum opened the bedroom door, he heard Ben utter "peachy" in a sexual manner. He couldn't help but look back over to Ben with a tut and an eye roll, before leaving with a smile. Enjoying the brief moment of isolation, Ben centred himself to the middle of his bed, and stretched out his limbs in the style of a starfish. The moment didn't last long, as he heard Callum flush the toilet, and make his way back into the bedroom. Ben returned to his side of the bed, allowing Callum to join him. The two lovers shuffled around so Ben was spooning Callum, stroking him along his bare thigh with one hand, as the other wrapped around Callum's torso, stroking his chest.

"We not having breakfast?" yawned Callum.

"Babe, I told ya," explained Ben, "too late for breakfast. Might as well have brunch at Twelve."

"Brunch? Bit posh for you, ain't it?"

"Shut it," giggled Ben, "just go back to sleep, yeah?" he added, giving his boyfriend a kiss on the back of his neck, as the pair of them fell back to sleep.

When Ben woke up again, he felt a little down when he noticed Callum wasn't in bed. He can't have gone too far, as the empty space was still warm, and he can't have left the house, as both their clothes were still scattered on the floor, along with Callum's phone and watch still on one of the nightstands. No sooner had Ben sat up, when he heard the door open. Callum walked in holding two mugs of tea, wearing Ben's grey fluffy bathrobe.

"Aw, cheers, Babe," smiled Ben, taking a mug from Callum.

"Hope you don't mind," Callum gestured to the bathrobe.

"Nah. Kinda suits you actually. Although..." Ben placed his mug on the other nightstand, and got out of bed to stand face-to-face with Callum. "It would look much better on the floor." With a smug smile, Ben took Callum's mug from his hands to join his own mug. Then, he slowly untied the rope belt of the bathrobe, and peeled the sleeves off of Callum's shoulders, dropping the garment onto the floor. "These too," he winked, as he teased the elastic waistband of Callum's white boxers.

Returning the smug smile, Callum pushed Ben onto the bed with a soft thump, as he stripped himself of his boxers, and joined Ben in bed.

"So what do you fancy for breakfast?" asked Callum, as Ben handed him his mug, "I mean 'brunch'."

"Hmm," thought Ben, picking up his own mug, "I was thinking something nice, and hot, and creamy."

"Not now, Ben," laughed Callum.

"What?"

Callum didn't answer, he just nodded in the direction of his waist.

"Actually, I was hinting at your famous chicken pasta," Ben feigned innocently, "but if you're offering..."

"Just shut up and drink your tea."

A little while later, Ben and Callum were downstairs in the kitchen, as Callum was cooking his chicken pasta. Callum was once again wearing Ben's bathrobe, and Ben was in his spare black one, along with his glasses. Callum would never stop telling Ben how much his glasses brought out the kindness in his eyes, even suggesting he should use them on a permanent basis, as opposed to his contact lenses. At one point before Christmas, Ben jokingly suggested himself that maybe Callum should get a pair of his own, if he was so obsessed with them.

Ben, who was perching on the kitchen counter, slid off and went to stand behind Callum, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

"Ben," said Callum softly, "I'm a little busy at the moment."

"But I'm bored," Ben teased, resting his head on the back of the taller man's neck, "and I'll shrivel up and die without your physical contact."

"Why don't you pick a movie to watch?" suggested Callum, "The chicken pasta's nearly done."

"Remind me, did we watch the end of Hannah Montana?"

"She managed to get an entire town and that creepy British reporter to keep her secret, right?"

"Yeah, that's right, maybe I should move you on to all the other Disney Channel stuff from back in the day."

***

"Can they make up spells?" asked Callum.

"They did in..." Ben thought, "think it was the first series."

"So why can't she just make one up to speak Spanish?"

"She's obviously not as smart as her older brother. Plus their magic isn't as strong without their wands."

Ben had persuaded Callum to spend the afternoon doing a Disney movie marathon. Their empty bowls, once filled with chicken pasta, were discarded on one side of the coffee table, whilst Callum rested his feet on the other end, as he sat on the sofa. Ben was resting his head on Callum's lap, as his own feet were dangling on one end of the sofa. The two lovers linked a hand with each other, resting upon the shorter man's chest, whilst Ben subconsciously used his other hand to stroke Callum's arm. Their robes were both discarded on the floor, leaving the pair wearing nothing but their boxers.

After a while, they heard the kitchen door unlock.

"Anyone in?!" came the voice of Kathy Beale.

Ben and Callum jumped up from the sofa, and hastily slippped their robes back on.

"In here, Mum!" answered Ben, as he and Callum sat back down.

"Oh sorry," Kathy entered the living room, "didn't realise you had company."

"Yeah. Just me and Loverboy here," Ben gave Callum a gentle rub on the thigh, and nodded towards the TV, "and an afternoon of Disney."

"So where is everyone?"

Ben paused the movie, and looked at Callum with uncertainty.

"Tell her," he encouraged.

"The old bill reckon Keanu's pushing up daisies," explained Ben, "so obviously me and Dad are in the frame. He's left the country with Lisa, Louise, and Peggy. I was gonna join them," Ben paused and briefly looked at Callum, "but I changed my mind."

"Your dad's gone?" his mum questioned.

"Yep," Ben emphasised on the P, "all I can do now is keep me 'ead do-"

"Did you do it?" interrupted Kathy, "What about Phil?" she turned her attention to Callum, "Did he?"

"Why you asking him?"

"You will only just lie to me."

"He didn't," assured Callum.

"So yeah, my hands are clean," finished Ben, "and thanks for assuming my guilt."

"Well can you blame me?" asked Kathy, "I hardly know you these days."

Ben got up from the sofa and pulled his mum into a hug.

"I'm sorry, yeah?" Kathy broke away from the hug, "I'm just worried I'll lose you again."

"Yeah, well, I ain't going nowhere," Ben assured her, giving her another brief hug, "not unless Baby Copper over there decides to throw me in the slammer."

"So you two are back together then?"

"Obviously," Callum smiled and nodded, "by the way, there's leftover chicken pasta, if you want me to warm it up."

"Thanks, Callum, dear," Kathy returned the smile, "and it's ok, I can do it."

Kathy was just about to head back to the kitchen, when a sudden thought came to her.

"Ben. If you're here, and your dad's taken Lisa and the girls with him, where's Dennis?"

"Me and Cal tried looking for him yesterday," explained Ben, "when we got to The Vic, Shirley told us he was staying with her."

"Does Sharon know?"

"I'm assuming Shirley's told her. Not like her to keep something like this from Sharon. Even if they are at each other's throats."

"Right, well, I'll try and talk to Sharon later. I'll be over at The Albert this afternoon if you need me."

"Yeah, cheers, Mum."

With that, Kathy returned to the kitchen, shutting the living room door behind her. Making his way back to the sofa, Ben stripped himself of his bathrobe, as he straddled Callum, cupping his neck and planting kisses all over his boyfriend's face.

"Ben," said Callum, trying to resist Ben's intimacy, "your mum's still in the kitchen."

"Cal," replied Ben, as he slid his palms over what was exposed of Callum's chest, "I can assure you she ain't gonna bother us for the rest of the afternoon."

After a brief moment of silence, a thought came to Ben's mind.

"Fancy going for a few drinks at The Albert this evening? When Mum's not there?" he suggested, "We can come back early, and I'll make it worth your while," he added with a wink.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," Callum pretended to think this through, "if I say yes, can we watch the rest of the movie?"

"Deal, but this is coming off," Ben indicated to the bathrobe Callum was wearing.

"Deal," agreed Callum.

With the two garments discarded on the other sofa, Ben and Callum returned to their original position on the main sofa prior to Kathy's entrance, and resumed where the movie left off.

Neither Ben nor Callum knew what dramas lie ahead in the future, but one thing they did know, was that they can face them together.

**Author's Note:**

> Magic? Spells? Wands? No guesses what Ballum were watching this time. LOL.
> 
> Fun fact: The 'Creepy British Reporter' from Hannah Montana: The Movie is Brian Packham from Coronation Street.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed my latest Ballum Fanfiction, and once again, feel free to leave a comment.


End file.
